IndianEra > Coronavirus > Coronavirus Fears in India, Pharma Exports Take Halt!

After hitting around 90,000 people across 60 nations and claiming more than 3,000 lives across 8 nations, Coronavirus is slowly penetrating into India.

A total of six COVID-19 positive cases have been detected in India, three from Kerala and one each from Hyderabad, Delhi and Jaipur, as of March 03, 2020.

Now, as per the latest updates, 14 Italians, including one Indian, were tested positive on March 04, 2020.

Kerala was the first Indian state to report Coronavirus in three of its people who returned from Wuhan in February 2020.

However, the three were later treated and discharged by February 20, 2020, one after the other after they reported COVID-19 negative.

Towards this end, the Central Government and respective State Governments have already issued directives with precautions and safety measures against coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health has also released an official email and a 24/7 tollfree number for reporting about coronavirus: +91-11-23978046 and nvoc2019@gmail.com

Coronavirus Do's and Dont's

In view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Indian Prime Minister has decided to stay away from ‘Holi Milan’ celebrations this year.

Govt Restricts New Arrivals, Stops Issuing Visas

VISA

Meanwhile, the Indian Government has suspended both regular and e-visas granted to citizens of Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea on or before March 03, 2020.

In case of any urgent need to visit, they will have to apply for a fresh visa under the new travel and visa restrictions issued by the Indian Bureau of Immigration.

Air India has decided to reduce the number of flights.

“Till March 31, our Delhi-Tokyo flight will fly four times a week, instead of five; Delhi-Seoul and Delhi-Milan will twice a week, instead of four; and Delhi-Rome flight will operate twice a week. Till May end, daily flights Mumbai-Singapore-Dubai and Delhi-Bangkok-Mumbai will operate four and three times a week,” Air India said in a statement.

The airline is reviewing the situation every 15 hours and will soon decide on its services to Jeddah.

India Halts Drug Exports, US Worried!

India Halts Drug Exports

Worried at the coronavirus spread, India has decided to stop the export of drugs to the outside world.

“Export of specified APIs and formulations made from these APIs… is hereby ‘restricted’ with immediate effect and till further orders,” the Director General of Foreign Trade said in a statement here on March 03, 2020.

The government has reportedly issued directives to halt the export of 26 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and medicines derived from them, including the famous paracetamol.

However, the government clarified that they have stocks to prepare formulations for the next two-three months period.

These 26 APIs and medicines make up 10 percent of the overall pharma exports from India, including various antibiotics, the hormone progesterone and Vitamin B12, among others.

However, the resultant impact on the countries importing from India is yet to be known.

Looking at the USFDA figures, Indian pharma supplies accounted for 24 percent of medicines and 31 percent of medicine ingredients in the US in 2018.

Now, this restriction comes as a shock to the US as it recently reported shortage of drugs to fight coronavirus due to lack of material required to make APIs.

On the other hand, Indian drug manufacturers depend on China for 70% of their API requirements.

“Irrespective of the ban, some of these molecules may face shortages for the next couple of months. If coronavirus is not contained, then in that case there could be acute shortages,” says Dinesh Dua, chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India.

“It’s not a ban on export. It’s a restriction. What we want to do is monitor the movement of the drugs,” says Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

“But if this trend continues beyond March and the coronavirus spreads to other regions in China and around the globe, we expect a disruption of the supply chains. Then everyone will be hit — every sector,” says Krishnanath Munde, a pharma industry expert at India Ratings and Research.

Experts are worried about the ongoing scenario in India over COVID-19 outbreak.

“We have been slowing and there is no real sign of recovery. Add to that the coronavirus and the potential implications. . . there is a big cloud over India,” says said Shumita Deveshwar, director of India research at TS Lombard, a renowned global research provider.

Not just pharmaceuticals, other industries are also worried about coronavirus effect. Besides pharma, India is largely dependent on China for auto parts and electronic equipment.

Will have to wait and see to understand the extent of coronavirus impact on the Indian economy and industrial activity.

Stay tuned to Indianera for more news updates and trending stories about India!


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Posted by IndianEra, 04/03/2020